James, flooring has long been a critical and overlooked area of environmental impact, it is great to see Earth Weave innovating in sustainable, natural, non toxic carpets. We’ve carried your Bio Floor for quite a while, and I safely say that a market shift from synthetic to sustainable carpeting is definitely needed in our home improvement and building industry. And yes, we DO want to carry that next super secret product you hinted you’re working on.

Name: James Stinnett, Founder

Company: Earth Weave Carpet Mills, Inc.

What’s your personal definition of greening?

We are different than many other companies in that we feel that the only true way to be “green” is to use sustainable materials. This will require the use of natural and renewable resources. We do not manufacture using synthetics and feel that this is merely “greenwashing” because most of the time the chemicals contained are toxic to life and the environment.

How did you get started in green business?

I started this company 14 years ago which was well before the modern “green” era. Prior to this, I have always had an interest in doing the right (environmental) thing and had a great desire to change the carpet industry. Of course, the carpet industry is very large and is solidly entrenched using synthetics and is not something that we can actually impact too heavily. None the less, I do feel we have made small in-roads over our business tenure and this makes me very happy. I am excited to continue to push the natural products envelope in the upcoming years!

Why did you choose to supply Greenhome.com?

Greenhome.com is a great company that has the ability to educate consumers and do the environment good at the same time that they are building a successful business.

What do you and your company do in your own life and operations to walk the walk?

We are very active in most every aspect of environmentalism. We use almost every single piece of raw material in some way to eliminate the waste that is created when manufacturing a product. Personally, most of the things I do would seem to be excessive but I am fine with that. Not that I will share them here!

What is the best greening advice you can give our customers?

To follow our motto: From Nature To Nature™ This will allow a healthy planet for future generations. I encourage everyone to look at the materials used in the products they purchase.

What’s been the biggest change in the green sector since you got started?

The huge number of mainstream businesses that have been jumping on the green band-wagon is astonishing.

Do you really think green products make a big difference and why?

YES, of course! We only have one planet and we must conserve and preserve it as much as we can.

Do you think consumers now are aware green products exist, or is there still a lot more education to do?

Education is the key to EVERY single environmental problem we have. I do feel that we are just starting get the amount of education that is required to cause a true global impact. The undeveloped countries of the world will need to be educated on the merits of green before they start down a path like the US experienced with the industrial revolution. If they follow our synthetic path, the world will be so heavily impacted it is hard to imagine.

If you could invent a green product that doesn’t exist, what would it be?

I am working on that at this point so I will not share it. But what I can say is that we need a battery technology or energy storage medium that is truly green and on the same energy per lb density as gasoline. Petrochemical consumption is a big environmental time bomb.

Thank you for your time- we are looking forward to many more years working with you!